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Millions of girls married off during their teenage years face serious health complications and deaths from childbirth, children's rights groups warn. About 70,000 teenage girls die annually from childbirth-related concerns, and the majority of deaths occur in developing world countries where child marriages are widely practiced.

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Ten million girls under the age of 18 are married every year, with the rates of child marriage above 70% in countries such as Chad and Mali, according to child-rights advocates. Child marriage directly impacts efforts to reach Millennium Development Goals on poverty, education, health and gender equity, advocates warn.

Child marriage remains one of the world's most common and socially sanctioned human rights abuses in the world and increased international pressure must be brought to bear to end the practice, United Nations Foundation CEO Kathy Calvin and Population Council policy analyst Judith Bruce write. Girls married off at a young age face increased risks from childbirth and often face emotional and physical abuse from their spouses.

One in seven girls in developing countries is married by age 15. Child brides are often separated from friends and family and are denied an education. They are also at higher risk for violence, HIV and death during pregnancy or childbirth. The United Nations Foundation's Girl Up campaign is asking for your help to bring awareness to the issue of child marriage in developing countries by signing a petition asking the Obama administration to take action to stop child marriage. There will be more than 100 million child brides in the next decade if we don't act now.